Ankle Tattoos
by magicmaddie
Summary: This is a high school alternate universe (in the mortal world) of The Infernal Devices. Wessa story. Everyone has a tattoo on their ankle, and if you fall in love, you get their tattoo somewhere on your body. Tessa vows to never fall in love with a popular, but what happens when she does? It all starts with some tutoring.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is a completely fictional HS AU for TID. I do not own any of the characters in The Infernal Devices or the series itself. That said, enjoy the story! Please leave a review :)**

-Chapter 1-

Tessa walked over to her locker. Sophie and Cecily were already gathered there. Tessa could hear Sophie admiring something about Cecily. She thought it was a new tattoo, but couldn't be sure.

"...and I think it matches Gabriel's!" Cecily was saying as Tessa arrived.

Sophie grinned, the long scar down her cheek momentarily disappearing. "Oooooh," she teased, "someone has a crush!"

Cecily blushed. "I do not!" she said indignantly.

The girls had not noticed Tessa's arrival, so she used now to take advantage of that. "You're blushing, Cece," she pointed out, which only made the girl turn redder. Deciding to show mercy, Tessa changed the subject slightly. "What do the tattoos mean, again?" she asked.

"Goodness, Tessa! You may be new here, but this is important stuff!" Cecily exclaimed. "Each person has a specific tattoo on their ankle. Every time you fall in love, the person whom you fell in love with's tattoo appears on your body."

Just as Tessa was going to respond, the bell rang and Tessa raced away to her next class. She arrived in English and flung her stuff down. She slid into her seat moments before the teacher walked in. Will Herondale, that bastard, was seemingly enjoying seeing Tessa flustered. His gaze slid up and down her body, and he smirked slightly. Tessa groaned inwardly, wishing that she didn't have to sit next to a popular in her first period class.

"Miss Gray," her teacher, Mr. Norman said, "let's not make being late a habit."

Tessa blushed furiously and nodded, which made Will's grin grow larger. She scowled at him before grabbing her textbook out of her backpack. When she looked back up, his eyes were still on her, but there was something different in his gaze. It disappeared before Tessa could identify it, and that god-awful smirk was back. Tessa could see why it made girls go crazy, though she had vowed on the first day she met Will that she would never like him.

"Something wrong?" he asked, sounding amused. He must have noticed her grumpy expression.

"Just the fact that I have to sit next to you in this class," Tessa said, forcing herself to sound bright. She made it through the rest of class without a problem. But, as soon as she walked out of the classroom, Will cornered her. She noticed his multitude of tattoos as he towered over her. _Just another reason_ , she told herself, _why I will never fall in love with a popular._ Forcing herself to look Will in his eyes, those bright blue eyes, she smiled.

"Something wrong?" she asked sweetly.

"Listen, Tessa, I need your help," he said, actually sounding worried.

"Why would you want me to help you? Have Jessamine do it," she snapped, walking away.

Will grabbed her arm. He seemed to be doing this against his own will (ha-ha). "Look, Tess, it's important, okay? Just meet me in the gym after school."

Tessa finally agreed. She told herself that it was only so she could make it to biology class without being late. _That_ , she thought, _is absolutely the only reason I agreed. Nothing else._

 **A/N: So that's Chapter 1! Leave a review and tell me what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the newest chapter! Hopefully it'll be a bit more interesting than the first. You'll learn more about Will's troubled background.**

-Chapter 2-

Surprisingly enough, Tessa made it to lunch without any more events. She stood in line for lunch with Cecily and Sophie, staring into space as they chatted. Suddenly, Sophie tapped Tessa's shoulder.

"What?" Tessa asked, dazed.

"We were talking about Cecy's brother. You think he's an ass too, right?" Sophie asked.

Tessa nodded. In truth, Will was all that she could think about. Why did he want her to go to the gym after school? What was so important that one of his precious girls couldn't do? Why did he have to bring Tessa into his life? She decided that maybe she just wouldn't go. She thought that she had chosen right until she remembered Will's desperate tone. Tessa pondered this over lunch, with Sophie and Cecily leaving her more or less alone.

The afternoon seemed to drag by. Tessa's favorite class, Literature 2, seemed longer than usual. She was okay with this, though, because she sat next to Jem Carstairs. He was a popular, but a nice enough one. Unlike Will, he had never treated Tessa badly or publicly embarrassed her. She cringed, remembering the famous spaghetti incident of last trimester.

Thinking of Will, she tapped Jem on the shoulder. He stopped talking to Jessamine and turned toward Tessa. Before she could fully think about what she was doing, the words were out of her mouth. "Has Will talked to you about needing help with something?" she asked.

Jem frowned worriedly. "No," he said, "is something wrong with him?" His frown deepened as he thought about this more. "Has he been fighting again?"

"I don't know," Tessa whispered back. "Wait. _Fighting_?"

"Oh, yeah," Jem reminisced. "That was before you came here. Will used to get into fights all the time with the Lightwood boys. Luckily, Cecily talked some sense into him and got him to stop."

Tessa, remembering Cecy's newest tattoo, grinned to herself. "Oh?" she asked. "And you think that might be happening again?"

"I don't know," Jem said, sounding more worried. "Will's seemed so distant lately. This isn't like him."

Just as Tessa was about to respond, the bell rang. She thanked Jem for talking with her and hurried off to her next class.

 ***Switch to following Will***

Will frowned to himself in the bathroom mirror. He pulled his shirt up once more, inspecting the new tattoo that had appeared on his ribcage. He hoped that no one else had discovered it. Covering himself up again, he walked to gym class.

Walking out of the locker room, he immediately locked eyes with Tessa. Since he had been checking out everyone's tattoos to see whose he had taken, his eyes went to her ankle. He groaned, rushing to the bathroom to look at his tattoo again. It was exactly as he had feared. Their tattoos were exact matches. He tried not to think about it and went through the rest of his day in a daze. After all, he really needed this help.

 **A/N: And that's Chapter 2! Sorry it's so short; the chapters will increase in length as I go on. Please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3 or 4

A/N: So I got one review (thanks, guest reviewer!) that said they were confused. Just to clear things up, Will has fallen in love with Tessa and is unsure about what to do, and Tessa is unsure and in denial. Also, my last chapter didn't post, but it was basically Tessa realizing that Will actually isn't that bad and being in denial about that.

-Chapter 4-

Tessa woke up, until the events of last night crashed over her. She couldn't go on seeing Will. She would have to cancel their tutoring sessions. Just then, a thought occurred to her. She rushed to the bathroom, checking every inch of her body. She sighed in relief. No tattoo. Yet, she told herself. Tessa straightened her back. She would cross that bridge when she got to it.

She spent the first part of her morning trying to catch up with Sophie and Cecy. Apparently Cecily and Gabriel Lightwood were going to the winter formal together. Tessa thought about this. With Gabriel's sharp features and Cecy's piercing blue eyes, they were a striking couple. Unfortunately, thinking of those blue eyes brought Tessa to her least favorite subject. Will. She would have to suffer through an entire English class next to him. Maybe it would be more bearable now that her feelings were warmer.

Of course, just as she thought about English, the warning bell rang. She hurried off to class. Will, naturally, was sitting there smirking.

As she got to her seat, Will brightened considerably. He turned towards her.

"Hey," he said. Now that she new he wasn't from here, she thought she detected a hint of another accent. Welsh, maybe?

"Tess, I've been wondering..." he trailed off with a short cough. "Since you've been helping me so much, maybe... I could.. return the favor?"

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked, confused.

"Well, I wanted to ask you to the winter formal," he said. "Unless, I mean... someone else asked you already."

"No, but... return the favor?" Tessa asked, suddenly angry. Determined not to let it show, she shrugged. "I guess I'll think about it."

Will looked as dejected as she had ever seen him. He nodded and swiveled back around as class started.

The day seemed to fly by to Tessa. All she could think about was Will. Sure, he was nice enough and funny and... where was she going again? Anyway, he acted as if she couldn't get a date herself. Which, she told herself, was completely untrue. She had gotten Will, hadn't she? Oh. Maybe Tessa really did want to go with Will. She took out her phone and texted him: "How about another study session?" His response was almost instantaneous. "Yeah, I'll pick you up around 4."

Tessa waited for what felt like a year until 4:00. As soon as Will and her sat down in the car, she whispered "Yes."

"Pardon?" Will asked.

"Yes," Tessa said, "I'll go to the winter formal with you."

Will grinned, seeming genuinely happy. They made it to his apartment and studied for a while, with Will never not smiling. Tessa found that Will was all that she could think about for the rest of the night. Feeling odd, she ran upstairs. It was just as she thought. A new tattoo on her forearm. She frantically told herself that maybe it didn't match Will's. But would it be so bad if it were? a tiny voice in the back of her head said. She went to sleep thinking about that.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I might wrap up the fic soon. Drop me a review!

A/N: So I got one review (thanks, guest reviewer!) that said they were confused. Just to clear things up, Will has fallen in love with Tessa and is unsure about what to do, and Tessa is unsure and in denial.

-Chapter 4-

Tessa woke up, until the events of last night crashed over her. She couldn't go on seeing Will. She would have to cancel their tutoring sessions. Just then, a thought occurred to her. She rushed to the bathroom, checking every inch of her body. She sighed in relief. No tattoo. Yet, she told herself. Tessa straightened her back. She would cross that bridge when she got to it.

She spent the first part of her morning trying to catch up with Sophie and Cecy. Apparently Cecily and Gabriel Lightwood were going to the winter formal together. Tessa thought about this. With Gabriel's sharp features and Cecy's piercing blue eyes, they were a striking couple. Unfortunately, thinking of those blue eyes brought Tessa to her least favorite subject. Will. She would have to suffer through an entire English class next to him. Maybe it would be more bearable now that her feelings were warmer.

Of course, just as she thought about English, the warning bell rang. She hurried off to class. Will, naturally, was sitting there smirking.

As she got to her seat, Will brightened considerably. He turned towards her.

"Hey," he said. Now that she new he wasn't from here, she thought she detected a hint of another accent. Welsh, maybe?

"Tess, I've been wondering..." he trailed off with a short cough. "Since you've been helping me so much, maybe... I could.. return the favor?"

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked, confused.

"Well, I wanted to ask you to the winter formal," he said. "Unless, I mean... someone else asked you already."

"No, but... return the favor?" Tessa asked, suddenly angry. Determined not to let it show, she shrugged. "I guess I'll think about it."

Will looked as dejected as she had ever seen him. He nodded and swiveled back around as class started.

The day seemed to fly by to Tessa. All she could think about was Will. Sure, he was nice enough and funny and... where was she going again? Anyway, he acted as if she couldn't get a date herself. Which, she told herself, was completely untrue. She had gotten Will, hadn't she? Oh. Maybe Tessa really did want to go with Will. She took out her phone and texted him: "How about another study session?" His response was almost instantaneous. "Yeah, I'll pick you up around 4."

Tessa waited for what felt like a year until 4:00. As soon as Will and her sat down in the car, she whispered "Yes."

"Pardon?" Will asked.

"Yes," Tessa said, "I'll go to the winter formal with you."

Will grinned, seeming genuinely happy. They made it to his apartment and studied for a while, with Will never not smiling. Tessa found that Will was all that she could think about for the rest of the night. Feeling odd, she ran upstairs. It was just as she thought. A new tattoo on her forearm. She frantically told herself that maybe it didn't match Will's. But would it be so bad if it were? a tiny voice in the back of her head said. She went to sleep thinking about that.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I might wrap up the fic soon. Drop me a review!


	4. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to that one guest reviewer who told me that my other chapters glitched! Continue reading, guys!**

-Chapter 5-

Tessa couldn't wait. It was finally the day of the winter formal. The two weeks had seemed to drag by, but she managed. She and Will had grown much closer over the tutoring sessions, and she didn't dislike him now. In fact, - her peace was interrupted by her phone alarm.

Cecily jumped up. "Oh, it's time for us to put on our dresses!" she cried. Cecily couldn't wait to see Gabriel, and Sophie had found Gideon to go with.

The three girls rushed upstairs.

"Okay, I'll change in my room, Cecy- take the bathroom, and Sophie, you can take the guest room," Tessa ordered.

Her friends went to their locations and Tessa took a deep breath. This was it. One hour until her date picked her up. With this thought, she grabbed her dress and took off her clothes. Looking into her full-length mirror, she froze. It couldn't be. A new tattoo. _Maybe it's a fluke_ , she thought. _I haven't even talked to any boys besides - oh._ She couldn't think about this now, as Cecy was pounding on the door, demanding to see Tessa's dress.

Tessa quickly changed and opened the door. The girls oohed and ahed over each other for a while. Then they sat back to wait for their dates.

At precisely five o'clock, the doorbell rang. Tessa raced to it, gasping despite herself. Will looked dashing. Upon seeing her, Will flashed the most shy smile she had ever seen.

He held out his arm. "Let's go."

 **A/N: This was mainly a filler chapter, so not much happened. Drop a review :)**


	5. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks so much for your review, sweetpsychoness! This chapter will have a little... angst ;)**

-Chapter 6-

Why is it that we always remember the worst things? Tessa could barely remember Will telling her she looked radiant. The details of them dancing were lost on her. Their witty banter- gone from her memory. The most vivid part was the worst memory. At least Tessa had gotten a glimpse of his ankle as it went down. Her fears were confirmed. The tattoo on her forearm was an exact match with that on Will's ankle.

Tessa lay in bed, remembering. The night had gone so well (she thought). Until... until, until, until. Until someone or other had made a comment about Tessa. They had said that her parents abandoned her and that's why she lived with her brother. Tessa, being used to this, went to put a hand on Will's arm to tell him it was all right. She found him not there and with his arm around the other boy's neck. They began grappling, and everyone stood there, transfixed. Luckily, Will wasn't hurt; he only seemed hurt that Tessa refused to look at him.

On the way home, Tessa began questioning. "Why? I heard that you had gotten over your fighting problem. Why now?"

Will bristled. "Where'd you hear that?" he asked gruffly.

"Jem."

Will frowned. "Well, obviously, Jem doesn't know as much as he thinks he does."

If it were possible, Tessa would have thought his voice sounded even colder.

She left it at that and the car ride home continued in silence.

She got out of the car and left without a goodbye. Tessa lay there, wondering what Cecily and Sophie would say about Will. And she wasn't even beginning to think about the worst part. When Will and the other boy had been rolling over and over, Tessa had gotten a peek at Will's ankle. What would Cecy and Sophie say if they knew that Tessa, the good girl, and Will, the bad boy, had matching tattoos?

She tossed and turned fretfully until the next morning. It was a day when she was supposed to tutor Will. She pondered over how her day would go. Tessa decided to go to school and just ignore Will.

When she got to school, that worked for all of two seconds. She saw Will talking with his friends and felt his gaze pass over her. Despite herself, she blushed. _Goddammit_ , she thought, _he's smirking again. I just know it._ Upon looking up, she saw this and blushed even redder. That asshole smirked. Saving her from further embarrassment, the bell rang.

Oh wait. Her first class was English. Luckily, Mr. Norman chose today to switch seats. As she and Will were moved to opposite sides of the room, Tessa felt a twinge of something. _No, you are not disappointed. He is not good for you._ Still, she couldn't help but wonder if she would miss Will's antics.

As the day went on, Tessa found that ignoring Will was easier than she thought. He made no effort to talk to her. In fact, he seemed to be as upset with himself as she was.

 **A/N: So that's the end of this chapter! Tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 7

**A/N: So sorry for not updating! I've been trying to prepare for a huge exam :(**

-Chapter 7-

Tessa's next morning was uneventful. She was dazed throughout every class, barely noticing Will. If anything, he seemed to be avoiding her as well. That's what she thought, at least. _No,_ she told herself, _he doesn't even care about you_. This was disproved when she walked into the lunchroom.

She found Will sitting at her table. Sophie and Cecily eyed him warily. Tessa tried to seem nonchalant, waving her hand.

"You guys go on," she said. "No problem."

To their credit, Sophie and Cecy seemed reluctant to leave Tessa alone with Will. Tessa had vented over text at how upset she was with Will. However, Tessa had seen a shift in his demeanor. He no longer seemed like the arrogant boy she hated. In fact, he even seemed sorry.

Still, she wasn't going to let him see that she was warming up to him. She sat down and stared at Will directly in his eyes.

"Talk."

Will laughed his easy laugh. "What makes you think I want to talk to you?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. So it was going to be one of those conversations. "Well," she pointed out, "You are sitting at my table."

Will shrugged. "Change of scenery. They say it's good for you, _Theresa_."

Tessa shivered involuntarily. She had never heard his beautiful voice say her full name. In fact, she rather liked how it sounded in his light accent. Of course, he was not to know about this.

"Well, _William_ ," Tessa started, "How about you go sit by the dumpster then?"

Will laughed, unbothered. "Missed you at tutoring yesterday."

Tessa tossed her hair. "I'm sure you did."

Coming to her senses, Tessa realized something. She and Will had been gradually inching closer and closer as they spoke. Her lips were about two inches from his. He smelled almost overwhelmingly of cologne, cinnamon, and ... _boy_.

She jerked back suddenly. Will looked a little put off.

"Look, can you just tutor me today?" He ground his teeth. "I really need the help. I'm... sorry about the winter formal."

Tessa smiled. "Those were the words I needed to hear."

Will, however, frowned. "Doesn't that bother you, though? I mean," he laughed bitterly. "I barely even know you and it bothered me."

Realization dawned on Tessa. They barely knew each other. The tattoo must have been a fluke or something. It probably matched someone else's. Jem's maybe. _You barely know Jem_ , the little voice at the back of her head nagged. _How could you be in love with him_? Tessa told her little voice to shut up and mind its own business.

After realizing this, Tessa relaxed. "Okay, well, let's get to know each other. Rapid fire questioning. Go."

"Place you're originally from?"

"New York. You?"

"Wales."

 _So I was right_.

"Favorite color?"

"Green. You?"

"Blue, like - " Tessa stopped. She had been about to say "like your eyes".

Will didn't seem to notice her cut off answer. "Amount of tattoos? Other than on your ankle?"

 _Ah, what the heck_. "One. You?"

Will smirked, smug. "10."

"That's nothing to be proud of!"

"Not to you, maybe."

"Whatever." Just as Tessa was about to say more, the bell rang. "Okay. Continue this at tutoring?"

"Sure," Will said. "My place at 5. Same as usual."

Tessa smiled at him and wandered off. She "wandered" smack into Cecily.

Cecily stared at her. "Oh, my God." she whispered.

"What?"

"You _like_ my brother!"

"I do not!" Tessa exclaimed.

"You do so! All lunch, you were staring at him dreamily. And you two were this" - she put her fingers about two inches apart - "close to kissing!"

"Oh my God! Were we? Here, come to the bathroom. I need to show you something."

Once they were safely in the bathroom, Tessa showed Cecily her new tattoo.

"I bet you 10 pence it matches Will's!"

Even though Tessa was thinking the same thing, she lifted her head haughtily. "You're on."

 **A/N: Drop a review below about this chapter please! Or any chapter. Or, you know, anything.**


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